Dengue claims another,cases cross 2,000

Of the four new cases of suspected deaths,three are from Rohini — two men,aged 27 and 54,died at Saroj Hospital on September 19. A 26-year-old woman died at the Baba Saheb Ambedkar hospital on September 24. In the fourth case,a 34-year-old man died at Fortis hospital on September 13.

In the latest report,which compiles data from hospitals across Delhi till September 28,municipal corporations have reported 2,124 cases; over 1,000 cases are from North Delhi alone.

Earlier,the corporations had confirmed two dengue deaths — a 47-year-old man,who died at Sant Parmanand hospital,and a 21-year-old,who died at Dayanand hospital.

Suspected dengue death cases this year include a 56-year-old male doctor from Moolchand hospital and a 35-year-old woman. A

28-year-old municipal employee,deployed to check the spread of dengue,is also suspected to have died of the disease at Max hospital.

A municipal health official said,“All the cases we are reporting as suspected dengue deaths tested positive for antigen or antibody of the virus during tests with rapid diagnostic kits. But the state government and municipal corporations,in repeated advisories,have asked hospitals to rely only on the ELISA test for confirmation. Rapid diagnostic kits are known to give false results.”

“But most private hospitals continue to use rapid test kits as they are cheaper. We have to confirm all the blood samples with ELISA tests again before confirming dengue,” the official said.

“From a treatment point of view,it does not make a great difference if the tests are from ELISA or rapid kits,because the treatment for dengue,like other viruses,is symptomatic… This attempt to discount the rapid test reports is only for trying to withhold the actual picture of the outbreak this year,” a doctor from Sir Gangaram hospital said.

Though most hospitals,including government and private,have set up special fever wards,doctors said there was a dire shortage of beds. Guru Teg Bahadur hospital,Deen Dayal Upadhyay hospital and Baba Saheb Ambedkar hospital have had to accommodate more than one patient on one bed. In Safdarjung hospital,beds have been set up in corridors and outside wards. At AIIMS,doctors said despite additional beds for fever and suspected dengue cases,there was a shortage.

Blood banks have also been working overtime with a 10-15 times increase in the demand for blood platelets. Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has already met the state health authorities.